


hold my hand (we'll be alright)

by wardeity



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Contracts, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Relationship Talks, mark graduating except it’s an au, some dream members are mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 17:11:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15756153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wardeity/pseuds/wardeity
Summary: Mark finds out Donghyuck wrote him a contract. They talk things out.





	hold my hand (we'll be alright)

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in so long, so I'm trying again and this is unbetaed so i'm sorry for mistakes! I know this fic still lacks so many things but I hope you guys will still enjoy it.

_Lit is boring_.

 

Donghyuck whispers to himself, scribbling more random song lyrics he can think of at the moment on his note. He continues writing whatever as his teacher recites some lines from _The Great Gatsby_. To be honest, Donghyuck really doesn’t care, it’s the last period and he only wants to go home and preferably takes a nap with his boyfriend.

 

At the thought of boyfriend, his phone vibrates. He sneaks a glance at his teacher before fishing out his phone from his pocket. It’s a text from Mark, the said boyfriend.

 

_are u free after school_

 

_yeah_

_i’m in class dont text me_

_mr kim is annoying i dont wanna get caught_

 

_fine_

_but_

_wanna grab wendys on our way home?_

 

_!!!!!_

_okay_

_:3_

_i’ll text you when it’s over_

 

_ok_

_i love you_

 

Donghyuck hurriedly puts his phone back in his pocket, heat starts to creep on both of his cheeks. He feels dumb for getting all shy from a simple _i love you_ , they’ve been together for a year, he expects more from himself.

 

He shifts in his seat, getting into a more comfortable position as he presses his cheek down to his desk, right against his so-called notes. His mind flies back to Mark Lee. Smart, handsome, excellent driver Mark Lee who happens to be his boyfriend. Him and Donghyuck have been friends since forever before they’d started dating with Mark living only approximately ten steps away from Donghyuck’s house, they grew up together.

 

Mark, who’s a year older, got to have Donghyuck and other kids in the neighborhood to follow him around when they were kids, a bond that still grows strong, even when Mark’s about to graduate high school in a few months. Donghyuck might never say it out loud, but he thinks about Mark’s graduation a lot.

 

Both of them rarely talk about it, they’d probably mentioned it a few times. One includes the time when they threw Mark a party for getting into the college of his first choice, the rest Donghyuck can’t even recall. Then, he realizes, Mark is truly leaving soon.

 

The thought of it turns his mood even more bitter. He should've thought about the matter sooner, preferably not in the middle of a boring class where his teacher could notice him being lost in his own thoughts. Donghyuck relieves a sigh, suddenly remembering what Mark said about him having a bad proportion for never sitting straight, so he straightens his back.

 

He attempts to pay attention to what his teacher’s saying, but Donghyuck’s mind can’t comprehend whatever comes out of Mr. Kim’s mouth. He can’t think of anything else other than his boyfriend’s departure. He imagines senior year without Mark this fall. Driving himself to school. Not having someone to bother during lunch time (whose fries is he going to steal?). Going to Wendy’s alone (or worse, _third wheeling_ Jeno and Renjun at Wendy’s). Bunch of other stuffs he always do with Mark, like holding hands, or sharing milkshakes.

 

Donghyuck wonders about what Mark feels about all of this. His mind wanders off to every ugly scenarios possible, like what if one day Mark gets tired of a long distance relationship? What if he finds _someone_ other than him?

 

He shakes his head, hoping the ugly thoughts would evaporate into thin air. Donghyuck glances at his notes, he snatches his pen and tries to pay attention to the lecture once again.

  
  


When classes are over, Mark catches Donghyuck before he receives a text from him, surprisingly, he’s greeted by a sullen face. He grabs him by the arm, earning a light gasp from Donghyuck.

 

“What’s with the long face? Also, don’t space out while you’re walking.” Mark chirps, he takes a moment to look around before stealing a kiss on Donghyuck’s cheek. He hears a sigh escaping the younger’s mouth, Mark let Donghyuck link their arms together. When Donghyuck doesn’t respond to his question earlier, Mark speaks again.

 

“What happened in Mr. Kim’s class that makes you so glum?” He asks again as they exit the school building. “Did he catch you doing something shady?”

 

Mark doesn’t like upset, quiet Donghyuck. It’d take him forever to get chatty, playful Donghyuck back, it usually takes a lot of begging, hugging, and kissing. Not that he’d mind, chatty and playful Donghyuck takes a lot of those too, but he likes handling the latter situation better.

 

“What is _shady_ supposed to mean?”

 

“I don’t know, babe. You tell me.”

 

Mark takes Donghyuck’s hand in his as they walk through the parking lot, he doesn’t hesitate to intertwine their fingers together and give Donghyuck’s hand a squeeze.

 

“Nothing happened, it was just insufferably boring.” Donghyuck pauses, “and I thought about some ugly stuff and my mood got worse.”

 

Mark hums as a response. “Ugly stuff, huh?”

 

“I don’t want to talk about it…” He trails, “Yet.” Mark gives him a confused look before mumbling a small _okay_. Donghyuck let go of his hand by the time they reach Mark’s car.

 

The car ride is kind of silent, none of them mentions a thing except for the faint sound of commercials on the radio. Mark keeps stealing glances as he drives, one hand on the steering wheel while the other rests on Donghyuck’s lower thigh, just above his knee. Whilst driving, he’s trying to find a way to make Donghyuck talk.

 

“So, Wendy’s?” Asks Mark, his thumb traces circles into Donghyuck’s thigh. Donghyuck hums, his gaze is fixed on the scenery across him.

 

“Come on, Hyuck. How long are you gonna ignore me?” Mark hits the brake as the traffic light turns red. He stares at Donghyuck’s side profile before reaching out to pinch his cheek. “Hey, look at me.”

 

Donghyuck whines, but he complies anyway. Mark flashes a teasing smile before cupping the younger’s cheek, they both lean forward and their lips meet halfway in a long, slow kiss. A car honks behind them and Donghyuck almost jumps in his seat if not for his seat belt. Donghyuck snickers before urging Mark to drive, while Mark can only laugh behind his steering wheel.

 

“You’re unbelievable.”

 

Mark sneaks another glance at Donghyuck. “What? You didn’t like the kiss?”

 

“I didn’t say that!”

 

“Yeah. Right.” He reaches for Donghyuck’s hand again.

 

They always go to Wendy’s because Donghyuck loves to dip his fries in frosties, a liking that Mark never understands. The order’s always the same, regular fries, chili fries, ten pieces of nugget, chocolate frosties, and two drinks of Mark’s choice. They rarely dine in because Donghyuck prefers to eat in Mark’s car, he claims everything tastes better if you order it from the drive thru, Mark claims Donghyuck just wants to litter in his car.

 

Eating Wendy’s at their parking lot has always been their habit, long before they even had begun dating. Sometimes their friends come along and Mark’s car get even dirtier (Jaemin’s a messy eater and Jeno somehow always happen to spill something), but he was never the type to complain.

 

“I brought wet wipes with me today.” Says Donghyuck, taking a sip from his cup of drink. “Is this really diet coke?”

 

Mark raises an eyebrow. “That’s really thoughtful of you? And yes, that’s diet coke.”

 

“It tastes like regular coke to me.” He watches Donghyuck opens the food container with one hand, while the other hold his drink. “My sister was probably the one who slipped it into my bag this morning.” He puts down his cup, much to Mark’s relief, only to pull his phone out of his hoodie pocket.

 

They spend more time munching than talking. Mark suspects that Donghyuck is still upset, he really is curious about whatever goes on on Donghyuck’s mind right now. But Donghyuck said he doesn’t want to talk about it yet, so Mark doesn’t push.

 

“Why are you watching me eat?” Donghyuck mutters, still munching on his fries.

 

Mark’s mouth twists into a small smile. “I can’t do that now?”

 

Donghyuck shifts a little in his seat, now facing Mark. The older catches the annoyance on his face. “I think you’re cute when you’re eating, that’s all.”

 

“You only said that only to cheer me up, didn’t you?”

 

“ _Maybe_.”

 

“You’re the worst, Mark.”

 

Mark knows he didn’t mean what he said, so he just shrugs. He is taking the last piece of chicken nugget when Donghyuck said, “I’m gonna go inside, my sister said she wants something for dinner.”

 

“We can just go through the drive thru, if you want?” Mark offers, but Donghyuck doesn’t seem like he’s paying attention to what Mark said. He starts pulling everything out of his pockets while mumbling about a ten dollar bill he got somewhere in them before exiting the car, leaving bunch of receipts and other junk in his seat.

 

Mark let out a long sigh, he starts picking everything Donghyuck left behind while making a mental note to throw it in the bin once he’s home.

 

A piece of folded paper catches his attention. Mark ponders whether he should open and try to read it, but he feels like he’s looking into something he isn’t supposed to. But when curiosity wins him over, Mark carefully unfolds the paper.

 

_Mark Lee’s College Contract_

 

_Mark Lee must at least call Donghyuck Lee once a day, facetime would be very appreciated._

 

_Mark Lee must give Donghyuck Lee a visit at least twice a month._

 

_Mark Lee will put up a picture of Donghyuck Lee’s choosing on his desk._

 

_Falling in love with someone else is strictly prohibited._

 

Mark blinks in confusion, he reads the handwriting, which obviously belongs to a person he knows _so_ well, over and over again, trying to process and understand what the hell is actually going on. When did he write this? Did Donghyuck mean what he wrote in here? Is he even allowed to read this?

 

Questions start to pop in his head, he quickly folds the paper again. He realizes that his fingers are still covered in fast food grease, Mark hastily look for something to wipe on and ending up using the lower part of his jeans. It’s a useless attempt as Mark notices the stain on the corner of the folded paper.

 

“Fuck it.” He mutters under his breath as he shoves the paper inside his pocket. If Donghyuck realizes he loses the note, Mark would try to come up with an excuse. He’ll deal with it later.

 

He sees Donghyuck walking out of the building. He takes a sip of his drink and clears his throat as he sees his boyfriend approaching. He’ll try his best to act normal, it’s not a hard thing to do. Mark Lee can do anything after all.

 

“Done?” He greets Donghyuck first, hands on the steering wheel while grinning in the most nonchalant way possible.

 

Donghyuck sits down after putting whatever food he just bought in the back seat. “Yeah.” He pauses to put his seat belt on. “Hey, Mark. Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?”

 

Mark shakes his head. “Got some assignments.”

 

“Do you think you can come over?”

 

“Sure.”

  


Donghyuck likes watching Mark when he’s being serious, because according to him that’s when Mark’s the most attractive, like right now. Mark is working on his biology assignment, settled on Donghyuck’s window seat.

 

“Why do you have to be so far away?” Donghyuck asks, half-mumbling. He’s sprawled on his own bed, cheek pressed on his comforter. Mark spares him once glance before answering, “What do you mean?”

 

The younger emits a sigh before scooting closer to the edge of his matress. “Why do you have to sit there?”

 

“Where else am I supposed to sit? Your desk is messy.” Answers Mark as he continues to type, which only annoys Donghyuck even more. He groans and rolls to the other side of his bed, his back facing Mark.

 

Silence falls upon them after that, Donghyuck can only hear Mark’s mumbling and the sound of him typing on his laptop. His mouth is itching to ask Mark for attention, but he doesn’t like to beg, at least not unironically. He turns around to face Mark again, now staring at Mark’s furrowed brows and the way he squints his eyes at his laptop screen, then he remembers today’s lit class.

 

It’s a total killjoy because Donghyuck literally feels the ugly feelings starting to form on his chest, it’s somewhat suffocating. Mark hanging out in his room is such a familiar sight to see, now he’s aware of how big Mark’s presence in his life. He never really went through a day without seeing Mark Lee’s stupid, handsome face, let alone a _year_.

 

Donghyuck’s whining is muffled against his comforter, but it’s cut off by Mark’s voice.

 

“You want me to give you attention, don’t you?” Donghyuck doesn’t answer, instead he asks something that has been clouding his mind.

 

“What do you think about graduation?” His chest feels heavy. Mark isn’t answering, he’s still occupied with his assignment. “Mark, answer me. My chest is about to pop.” Donghyuck urges.

 

“I’m happy to finally get my high school diploma,” Mark responds in a flat tone, he chuckles nervously when he notices Donghyuck’s annoyed face. “I’m just joking, baby.”

 

“Actually, there’s something I want to give you.” Mark adds while putting his laptop aside, he rustles in his seat to pull out something from his jean pocket. Donghyuck can feel his heart almost leap out of his chest by the time Mark hands him a piece of paper. When he sees what’s written in it, his brain melts.

 

He is panicking, he doesn’t know where to start and what to explain. There’s a huge lump in his throat, making it harder for him to speak.

 

“I… Mark, where did you get this?” He asks, voice small. He crumples the paper as he musters the courage to look at Mark in the eye, whose face is filled with guilt.

 

“I was cleaning the mess you left behind in my car earlier when I found that,” Mark explains, he stands up and walk over to sit at the edge of Donghyuck’s bed. “I believe you owe me an expla–“

 

“Nope. It doesn’t matter, I’ll throw this in the bin.” Donghyuck attempts to roll out of his bed, but he’s stopped when Mark grabs his arm.

 

Mark pulls him into a hug and says, “We need to discuss some stuff and you need to be honest to me, Hyuck.” He let out a sigh as he rests his chin on Donghyuck’s shoulder. “We can start by the contract you wrote?” Mark says again when Donghyuck isn’t responding.

 

“It was nothing!” Donghyuck bursts, a little too loud. “I wrote that in Lit, I was bored!”

 

“And what about the graduation thing earlier?”

 

“I don’t know, you answer that for me.” Donghyuck manages to break free from Mark’s arm, now he’s eye to eye with him. Mark’s face is nothing but confusion mixed with concern, and somehow that cause his heart to clench.

 

“Hyuck, I…” Mark struggles to find the right word, phrase. He averts his gazes for a second and says, “I don’t think about it. I _haven’t_ thought about it, not until now. It’s just a ceremony?”

 

Donghyuck doesn’t hide the disappointment in his voice. “You don’t think about parting with me? _At all?_ ”

 

Mark blinks before answering, “Is this what it’s all about? Me leaving for college?”

 

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

 

“God, Mark. For someone who excels in academics, you surely are dumb.”

 

They stay silent for a moment and Donghyuck hates every second of it. He wants to talk, but he doesn’t know where to start, he ends up playing with the hem of his hoodie.

 

“Is this the reason why you were so upset earlier?” Asks Mark once again. “You were upset during the whole period because you kept thinking about me leaving for college, so you wrote me a _contract_.”

 

“Congratulations for figuring things out.”

 

“But why?”

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why were you so upset over me leaving for college?”

 

Donghyuck exhales before saying, “I guess you never really thought about it, huh? But honestly, me too,” He admits, “Well, not until earlier. I just realized that I’ve never been apart from you?”

 

Mark nods before taking Donghyuck’s hand in his. “I guess, yeah.”

 

“I don’t know how– I’ve never, ever been in a long distance relationship.”

 

“Hyuck, UGA is only an hour and fifteen minutes away.” Says Mark, a small, barely there smile is forming on his face.

 

Blush creeps down his face to his neck. “You’ve always been three minutes away, you live across the street,” Donghyuck confesses.” But you’d never been an hour away, and you’ll be all the way across town.” He emits a long sigh while letting go of Mark’s hand, then he decides to lie down.

 

The older plops down beside him, now lying on his side to face Donghyuck. “I can always visit, baby. I can go home on the weekends, It’s not like I’m leaving everything behind here,” Mark assures, “I’m not that cruel, you don’t think I’d miss you?”

 

“I know, I know,” Donghyuck replies, scooting closer into Mark who gratefully welcomes him in an embrace. “I just– I know it probably won’t be easy for you, balancing between your personal matters and school… I just don’t want you to fail school because of me.”

 

“You know I won’t let that happen.”

 

Donghyuck looks up to Mark before saying, “I’m glad you won’t.” Marks responds with a grin before catching Donghyuck’s lips in a short, sweet kiss that Donghyuck likes the most.

 

“So… What about the contract?” Asks Mark after he pulls back.

 

Donghyuck groans and quickly nestles his face in the crook of Mark’s neck to avoid’s Mark’s gaze. “Can we pretend it never happened, please?” Donghyuck grumbles, an arm wrapped around Mark’s torso.

 

“No, I want to talk about it.” Replies Mark, followed by another groan by Donghyuck. “Do you really want me to do all of those?” The younger responds with a quiet ‘ _no_ ’ _._

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes, because I wrote it when I was bored, it’s dumb and you weren’t supposed to see it,” Donghyuck explains. “Also because it makes me sound like a shitty, possessive boyfriend.” He adds, rolling out of Mark’s embrace so he can look at Mark’s face properly. Donghyuck takes time to take Mark’s glasses then places it on the nightstand and murmurs, “Don’t roll around my bed with your glasses on or one of us will eventually break it.”

 

“Even the ‘ _Don’t fall in love with someone else_ ’ part?” Mark teases, only to earn a pinch on his waist. “Ouch.”

 

Donghyuck’s voice is soft when he says, “I don’t have control over your heart.”

 

Mark’s mouth twist into a toothy grin. “ _Oh, babe_. Trust me, you do,” He shifts closer to Donghyuck, while he uses his free hand to lift Donghyuck’s chin, planting a kiss on his mouth. “Besides, I don’t have the guts to break your heart.”

 

Donghyuck frowns. “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

Instead of answering, Mark kisses him again, the kind of kiss that makes Donghyuck keep craving for more. Instinctively, Donghyuck winds his arms around Mark’s shoulders as he pins him down to the bed. When he runs out of breath, Donghyuck pulls back first.

 

Mark presses another kiss on his lips before saying, “It means I’d rather be stuck with you then risking my life by breaking up with you.”

 

“How romantic.”

 

“I’m joking,” Says Mark, placing another kiss on the corner of Donghyuck’s mouth. “I wouldn’t trade you for the world, yet alone a college babe.”

 

Donghyuck snorts. “You’re such a sap.”

 

“The sap that you love so much you wrote him a contract.”

 

“Shut up.” Donghyuck snarls, then he adds, “But you aren’t wrong.” This time, Donghyuck kisses him first.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Sorry if it's kinda rushed, kudos and comments are very appreciated!


End file.
